What is the Pregnancy Risk Line?

The Pregnancy Risk Line provides valuable information to women who are pregnant, considering becoming pregnant, or breastfeeding, and to their healthcare providers.

What is the Pregnancy Risk Line's purpose?

This free, private, and easy-to-use telephone information service answers questions about medicines, drugs, chemicals, and other environmental exposures that can potentially harm an embryo, fetus, or infant. The Pregnancy Risk Line also answers questions about the flu and flu vaccines. For a brief video describing the Pregnancy Risk Line, see the news story on KUTV.

The purpose of the Pregnancy Risk Line is to offer accurate, timely, and confidential information that will help you avoid problems caused by:

1. Medications you have recently taken or are currently taking
2. Chemicals you may be exposed to
3. Other potentially dangerous products or exposures

Who will I talk to?

You will talk to a staff member knowledgeable about medicines, chemicals and other exposures that can cause pregnancy problems or birth defects. The Pregnancy RiskLine staff also advises women and their health care providers about the effects of exposures on the breastfed baby and the possible impact on breast milk production.

What questions will the Pregnancy Risk Line ask me when I call?

The staff will ask some questions to understand your situation:

Influenza: Seasonal and H1N1 Flu

During the flu season, the Pregnancy Risk Line may also ask if you have received a flu shot (influenza immunization) for the regular/seasonal flu or for the H1N1 influenza. If you have already received your flu shot, they may ask you to help with a new research study to gather more information about the effectiveness of these immunizations for pregnant women. For updates on the flu, see the Fact Sheets page.

Is the Pregnancy Risk Line a reputable organization?

Yes.

The Pregnancy Risk Line is a joint effort of the Utah Department of Health and the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. The Risk Line has been providing pregnancy information and education to women, families, and health care providers for more than twenty-five years. Teratology specialists and university faculty from the schools of pharmacy and medicine review the latest research to give callers the most accurate information about exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

The Pregnancy Risk Line belongs to the Organization of Teratology Information Services (OTIS) and is one of about 16 call centers in the United States and Canada.

OTIS participates in and conducts research studies to determine risks for exposures and medications during pregnancy. If you are interested in participating in a research study offered by OTIS or one of its partners, please visit the OTIS web site to learn more and then let the phone counselor know that you are interested in helping. These research studies need participants who have conditions (like arthritis) or use medications (like antidepressants or flu vaccines). Often, these research studies also need healthy controls (women without the condition or who are not using the medication) to participate for comparison purposes. These research studies help phone counselors give callers the newest and most accurate information.

When can I call the Pregnancy Risk Line?

The staff at the Pregnancy Risk Line can take your call Monday through Thursday between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

If the phone lines are busy, you may leave a message and we will call you back that day.